Thermogram
Breast Thermogram
One in eight women will develop breast cancer. Early detection is crucial for increasing the survival rate.
Thermography, also known as medical infrared imaging, measures temperature changes within the body. It is a simple examination, taking digital pictures with specialized cameras to detect heat emitted from the body and its metabolic cells. The cameras capture temperature patterns on the skin’s surface to produce detailed thermal images. During the imaging process, there is no physical contact, no radiation, and no compression to the breast tissue. However, it is highly accurate, non-invasive, and non-toxic.
Thermography is not intended as a replacement for mammography but rather as a complementary tool. Thermography shows heat patterns, including metabolically increased cellular activity; while mammography detects anatomical abnormalities. Sometimes, thermograms can show abnormal changes before the structural changes appear on other forms of imaging. This gives an opportunity to attempt reversal of the abnormal changes before it becomes problematic.
According to the International Academy of Clinical Thermology, “Breast thermography is a thermovascular detection procedure that images the breasts to aid in the early detection of breast cancer”.
This technique is particularly advantageous for:
- Women with dense breast tissue (fibrocystic breast disease)
- Women with breast implants
- Women who have had breast reductions
- Women who have had a mastectomy or previous biopsies
- Pregnant or lactating (safe)
- Individuals seeking non-radiative screening options
- Early-stage preventive assessments - It often can reveal the earliest changes in the breast tissue (5-8 years earlier than other testing).
To have the most accurate results, an ‘autonomic functional challenge’ (cold stress) is necessary as part of the testing procedure. See the article for more information here.
More information is available at the Therma-Scan website.
